Details

Expansion of San Ysidro crossing

Estimated cost of U.S. project: $583 million

Phase 1: Funded at $292 million. It includes a pedestrian bridge (completed in April 2011), northbound vehicle inspection areas (February 2011 to August 2012) and a southbound pedestrian crossing (July 2011 to August 2012).

Phase 2: $164 million for an administration and pedestrian building. Unfunded.

Phase 3: $121 million for relocating a section of Interstate 5 South to connect with El Chaparral and building southbound inspection facilities. Unfunded.

As the $583 million expansion of the San Ysidro border crossing moves forward, the massive project faces strong challenges on two fronts: securing funds for completion and negotiating with Mexico over the timing of a key phase.

The most immediate concern has been Mexico’s plan to complete its new El Chaparral port of entry, just west of its current entry point, and start to process southbound traffic there in October. Under the current schedule, the United States isn’t expected to connect southbound Interstate 5 traffic to El Chaparral until 2016.

A top Mexican diplomat said Thursday there is no firm date for El Chaparral’s opening, and the issue of a provisional connection remains the subject of negotiations between the United States and Mexico.

“What’s most important is that there is the political will of both governments,” said Eduardo Baca Cuenca, who oversees North American affairs for Mexico’s foreign ministry.

The future of the San Ysidro Port of Entry was the top issue as Baca and his U.S. counterpart met with a cross-section of players from both sides of the San Diego-Tijuana border, from maquiladora executives to tourism officials to government planners. The leading U.S. official at the meeting was

Eduardo Baca Cuenca, who oversees North American affairs for Mexico’s foreign ministry. left, and Matthew Rooney, deputy assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs addressing the media Thursday in Tijuana. — U.S. Department of State

Matthew Rooney, deputy assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.

The gathering at the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana marked the first in a series of similar meetings planned all along the U.S.-Mexico border. The aim is to bring federal policy-makers in Washington, D.C., and Mexico City in direct contact with local authorities and business leaders.

The challenge for both the U.S. and Mexican governments has been finding ways to speed legal trade and crossings while also ensuring security along their international border.

Since 2010, top federal officials from both nations have been coming together to discuss these issues under the auspices of the United States-Mexico Executive Steering Committee on Twenty-First Century Border Management. Thursday’s session marked the first time they met directly with a group local stakeholders.

Among the chief concerns was obtaining U.S. funding to finish expansion of the San Ysidro crossing. The first phase, with a cost of $292 million, has been funded. But Congress has not approved money for the second and third phases.

Mario López, director of Tijuana’s Economic Development Council, said participants stressed the importance of getting congressional delegations involved to lobby for the funds.

“It’s critical to the economy of the region,” said James Clark, director of the Smart Border Coalition, which is made up of business leaders from the San Diego and Tijuana.

Traci Madison, a spokeswoman for the General Services Administration, which is overseeing the San Ysidro reconstruction project, said “at this point, we do not have a timeline on when we can receive funding” for the remaining phases.